3-Time Award Winner Namkoong Min Takes a Shocking Turn with Jeon Yeo-been in New K-drama

Namkoong Min, long known as a master of genre dramas and a three-time Grand Prize (Daesang) winner, is making a surprising return — not as a detective, lawyer, or action hero, but as the lead in a full-fledged melodrama.

SBS’s upcoming Friday-Saturday drama Our Movie, set to premiere on June 13, marks a major shift in Namkoong Min’s acting career. A recently released teaser poster revealed a softer, more vulnerable side of the actor, hinting at a performance that could become a turning point in his already accomplished filmography.

Our Movie tells the story of two people caught at the edge of life: Lee Jae-ha, a film director who lives like there’s no tomorrow, and Lee Da-eum, an actress who feels like today might be her last. Their love story unfolds in the face of looming separation, dealing with themes of sorrow, healing, and emotional redemption. The drama requires a completely different emotional texture than Namkoong Min’s past works — one that’s tender, slow-burning, and intimate.

As Lee Jae-ha, Namkoong Min will portray a man who begins to love at the edge of life. It’s a stark departure from his iconic roles in Chief Kim, Hot Stove League, The Veil, and One Dollar Lawyer, where romance played only a minor or supporting role. While some of his past works included light romantic elements, Our Movie puts love at the heart of the story — for the first time in his career.

Starring opposite him is Jeon Yeo-been, known for her deeply expressive performances. Their pairing has already sparked anticipation, especially after the teaser poster showed the two characters with teary eyes and emotional expressions that captured the ache of impending goodbye — a single image loaded with grief, longing, and intimacy.

Namkoong Min has long excelled in playing cool, rational, or morally torn characters facing extreme situations. But this time, he’s stepping into warmth and vulnerability. Can he evoke just as much intensity through tenderness as he did through tension? Many believe this could be the beginning of a new chapter for the veteran actor.

Our Movie is more than a simple love story — it’s a reflection on mortality and the fragile beauty of relationships born within life’s limits. For two people who feel it’s too late to start loving but too painful to let go, this drama may explore emotional depths that even Namkoong Min hasn’t touched before.

It’s a choice no one expected — but perhaps the one audiences needed most. This time, Namkoong Min is at the heart of a story that aims not to thrill, but to move.

Get the latest on K-pop & K-drama here!